NASCAR’s Swan Racing’s No. 26 and No. 30 Toyota Camrys will have a little more swag this season.
SMS Audio and founder Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has come on as an associate sponsor for the 2014 and 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series seasons. According to several reports the deal includes SMS Audio branding on both cars. Cole Whitt and Parker Kligerman will wear branding on their uniforms and wear Swan-branded SMS Audio headphones.
50 Cent has been quite visible at some of NASCAR’s biggest events, including the Daytona 500. Though his sponsorship isn’t really a surprise, it comes at a significant time for NASCAR, which is doubling its efforts to attract a more diverse audience. Its Drive for Diversity program just announced the 2014 class.
“I’m an entrepreneur, 50’s an entrepreneur,” Swan Racing CEO Brandon Davis told NASCAR.com. “That piece is it, is the synergy that pulled it all together,” said Davis, the owner of Swan Racing. “You have two entrepreneur-minded people coming together. … NASCAR’s structure, it really allows for and opens the door for entrepreneurs to come in and use this platform for different kinds of marketing opportunities, and this is one of them.”
“My vision when I started this team was to build a marketing machine,” he continued. “And having this relationship is a key component in that,” he added. “Whether it turns into a primary for a car for the full season, which is what we’re shooting for, or not, the marketing power that this gives us, and the diversity it gives us from a marketing standpoint, it’s huge for our team.”
We are partnering with @50cent and @smsaudio for the upcoming #NASCAR season!
Read more here: http://t.co/8Z6XDLbz4n pic.twitter.com/XuN2lIFS63
— Swan Racing (@SwanRacingCo) February 4, 2014
Alas, no more questions from people concerning what 50 Cent’s doing at Daytona.